Winnipeg officer assaulted trying to remove keys from car that struck 2 people

Canada Day celebrations turned ugly at The Forks in Winnipeg on Monday night after a man and his child were hit by a car and a police officer was bitten when he confronted the driver.

A woman is facing multiple charges after the incident, which happened just as Canada Day celebrations were wrapping up around 11:30 p.m.

Thousands of people were leaving The Forks when a woman driving a Pontiac Sunfire hit a small child with her car, police said.

The child’s father and the driver of the car then got into an argument, and according to police, the woman hit the man several times with her car.

Neither the man or his child were injured by the car, but when police officers stepped in to intervene, the situation escalated.

Officers asked the woman to pull over, but she refused, police said. Worried about the heavy pedestrian traffic in the area, one officer reached into the vehicle to turn off the ignition.

That’s when the woman allegedly bit the officer.

"It’s unfortunate that we as officers and even a member of the public have to be out in situations like this where public safety is being put at risk," said Const. Jason Michalyshen. "[It’s] very much concerning where individuals are operating a vehicle in this manner."

Michalyshen acknowledged tensions were high because of traffic jams in the area.

"People do become frustrated, but certainly by no means is that an excuse to conduct yourself in this fashion," he said.

The woman and her female passenger were both immediately arrested.

A 20-year-old woman is facing charges including assaulting a peace officer, failure to stop and failure to remain at the scene of an accident. A 17-year-old girl is facing one charge of obstruction of justice.

Both have been released from police custody.

Video emerges on Facebook

On Tuesday, a video emerged of the confrontation between the woman charged and police. It shows numerous people tightly packed around the car and police officers reaching into the woman's vehicle.

Shortly after reaching into the vehicle through what appeared to be a broken driver-side window, an officer retracted his hand quickly. Moments later, two officers could be seen pulling the woman out of the driver-side window and pushing her to the ground.

For much of the video, crowds can be heard yelling and in some cases cheering.